Riff Tone
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live at Rasputin Music, Berkeley, CA - Apr. 16th, 2016)
Metallica
Guitarmetal2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarESP Iron Cross (James Hetfield signature, white finish, EMG pickups)
AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (live rig, 2010s era)
PickupsEMG JH Set (active humbuckers, JH-N neck, JH-B bridge)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid4.5
treble7
reverb1
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance at Rasputin Music, Berkeley, CA, April 16, 2016. Gear based on Hetfield's 2016 live rig and video/photo evidence from the event. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section; distortion from amp. No evidence of studio overdubs or alternate guitars for this live version.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midrangeaggressive palm mutingchunky and saturatedarticulate low-end punchcrisp high-end biteminimal ambiencemodern metal clarityhigh-output, compressed attackfast note tracking
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-level palm muting and picking precision to maintain clarity and tightness at a moderate tempo, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed.
Sources
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Original Gear
GuitarESP Iron Cross (James Hetfield signature, white finish, EMG pickups)
AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (live rig, 2010s era)
PickupsEMG JH Set (active humbuckers, JH-N neck, JH-B bridge)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid4.5
treble7
reverb1
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance at Rasputin Music, Berkeley, CA, April 16, 2016. Gear based on Hetfield's 2016 live rig and video/photo evidence from the event. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section; distortion from amp. No evidence of studio overdubs or alternate guitars for this live version.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midrangeaggressive palm mutingchunky and saturatedarticulate low-end punchcrisp high-end biteminimal ambiencemodern metal clarityhigh-output, compressed attackfast note tracking
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-level palm muting and picking precision to maintain clarity and tightness at a moderate tempo, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed.
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